00:00Today is Wednesday, July 2nd, just a few days away from Independence Day the 4th of July.
00:06When you think about July 4th, how do you celebrate?
00:09Probably some friends over, maybe by a pool, in the backyard for a barbecue.
00:15Well, for me and many others, it starts bright and early watching an event on the corner of Surf and Stilwell on Coney Island.
00:24That would be the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.
00:28So we are very pleased, bright and early here on this Wednesday morning, to welcome on, and still, the reigning mustard belt winner, Patrick Bertoletti, to the early line on this Wednesday.
00:42Pat, we appreciate the time.
00:44The champ is officially here.
00:46We are so glad to have you on the early line to break down the success of 2024 and your hopes for 2025.
00:54Thanks for being here.
00:56Good morning.
00:57Thanks for having me out today.
00:59Bright and early, by the way.
01:01Pat already traveling to New York in his pre-event and contest preparation, so we duly appreciate the time.
01:08Last year, of course, Pat, big news for the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest.
01:13The champ and the goat, Joey Chestnut, not involved.
01:16But you matched the opportunity and rose to the occasion.
01:19On the corner of Surf and Stilwell, a personal best, 58 hot dogs and buns to claim your first ever mustard belt.
01:29What did it feel like on July 4th, a year ago, to put on that mustard belt as the champion at the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest?
01:38Well, probably one of the greatest days of my life.
01:43I will say that when they actually tried to physically put that belt on, it didn't feel very good because I had so many hot dogs in me.
01:50So this year, if I win it, maybe they need to go a little bit less tight after eating the hot dogs.
01:55Restrictive on the hot dogs here.
01:58Let me ask you this question because we get a lot of – or you get a lot of fame here from eating all those hot dogs.
02:03And there's not much going on the 4th of July, particularly early in the day.
02:06There's baseball later.
02:07There's hot dog eating contests in the morning.
02:09But outside of eating hot dogs, like, how do you prep for this competition and maybe some of your favorite foods that you've eaten in competition?
02:18Yeah, I mean, the practice for this event in particular is just eating hot dogs.
02:23You have to build up a tolerance to the food.
02:26I'm not opposed to saying that Nathan's is, like, the best hot dog.
02:30I could still eat a Nathan's hot dog right now.
02:33I love them.
02:34I appreciate them and hot dogs in general.
02:36But I think one of my favorite foods outside of hot dogs is probably blueberries.
02:41I did that last summer and ate a lot of them in eight minutes.
02:44And probably my favorite record.
02:46I think 18 and a half pounds.
02:47So, Pat, as I saw yesterday on your page on Major League Eating, one of the 35 records you hold is blueberries.
02:56Of course, this year at the 2025 hot dog eating contest in just a few days, Jaws will be back.
03:02Joey Chestnut steps back into the ring at the hot dog eating contest.
03:07Last year, your first title in nine total appearances.
03:10But still, outside of that, four top three finishes as well.
03:15What will it take this time around to beat Joey Chestnut?
03:22You know, the goal this year is just another personal best.
03:25I know Joey's extra motive this year.
03:28I'm good friends with Joey.
03:29So, I don't know.
03:32A lot has to go right for me to win.
03:34A lot has to go wrong for him to lose.
03:36So, we'll see.
03:37Fingers crossed.
03:38By the way, Patrick, you take a look, too.
03:41You get 10 minutes to eat these hot dogs.
03:43And we like to talk adversity in sports.
03:45Like, oh, you get cramping.
03:46You probably get cramping eating hot dogs as well.
03:48When you see that countdown to the clock goes off and you have those struggles, how do you just push through and just keep eating?
03:56Yeah, there's usually the physical wall, like hitting the wall, which happens.
04:01It's normally a mental thing, but you just have to close your eyes, focus, and you really have to overcome everything that's telling you to stop.
04:09And that probably is the hardest part about the eating.
04:12Eating is such a simple thing.
04:13I mean, we all do it, but it's also a lot more difficult than people realize.
04:18And it's not the easiest sport to do.
04:22No, it is certainly not.
04:23And we appreciate you doing it each and every year on the corner of Surf and Stillwell.
04:28Pat, one of the things I have always wondered, after you eat a personal best 58 hot dogs and buns, like you did last year in 2024 to claim the mustard belt, what are the few hours like post-competition?
04:41What's the routine after you take down 58 hot dogs?
04:47Man, it felt so good last year, but then about two hours after, I crashed pretty bad.
04:54Hung out with family, took a car ride back into the city and just crashed.
04:59You know, it all caught up to me, all the emotion.
05:02I mean, I've been doing competitive eating for 20 years, so it all came on hot and heavy.
05:07And, yeah, a lot of liquid, a lot of nafts, Pepto-Bismol, and a lot of regrets, but also happiness as well.
05:16To the victors go the spoils there.
05:18Let me ask you this question, too, because being a big eater here, do you ever roll into a buffet and be like, you know what?
05:23I'll take this as a challenge right here and just say, let me see if I can bankrupt this place.
05:31God, I actually am a chef in Chicago, so I know how those buffets work.
05:35It is very difficult to get your money's worth, so I don't really do the buffet thing anymore.
05:41But when I do do anything that's outside of a competition, I usually keep a low profile, and it's fun to do that and surprise everyone.
05:48So, yeah, that's what I like to do is come in incognito and just see the managers bug out when I eat, like, 20 plates of food.
05:57Yeah, that's always good.
05:58Leave a surprise on their face, Pat.
06:00As you mentioned, blueberries, part of the 35 records that I was able to count.
06:05Some of the foods included pancakes, key lime pie, boneless chicken wings, Rocky Mountain oysters, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
06:15Of all the records that you hold, what is the one you are most proud of?
06:19Say that one more time?
06:26I said, of all the records that you hold and mentioned some of those foods, key lime pie, pancakes, boneless chicken wings, what is the one that you are most proud of?
06:34I think it's at the blueberry one.
06:40I also, I just set one through Guinness record at 6.9 liters of raw eggs in one minute.
06:46That's a very good one.
06:48That's good.
06:49Man, that's protein.
06:51I would say so.
06:52I don't think Donnie's even trying to go after that record.
06:55Patrick Bertoletti and still the reigning champ of the Nathan's famous hot dog eating contest that will put the mustard belt on the line once again in just about 48 hours.
07:06Pat, we appreciate the time.
07:08Thanks so much for being here on this Wednesday.
